1998 All-Metro boys lacrosse teams

May 31, 1998|By Lem Satterfield

Player of the Year

Alex Lieske, Gilman, senior, attack: This tough 5-10, 160-pound Duke-bound senior was the Greyhounds' quiet thunder. "Alex doesn't say much, never complained when we asked him to hold the ball in critical situations instead of trying to score," said coach John Tucker of Gilman's third Player of the Year in his nine seasons. "Alex is tough, not afraid to take someone on, one-on-one, to score the big goal. He'll go around you or through you, whatever it takes." Though he ranked second in team scoring with 44 goals and 35 assists, Lieske "was completely unselfish until it was time to score the big goals," Tucker said. Lieske assisted on the goal that sent the Greyhounds into overtime of a season-opening 13-12 overtime win over McDonogh, finishing with four goals and four assists while being guarded by one of the league's best defensemen in that game. He set the tone for a regular-season 12-11 win over St. Paul's with three straight goals to break a 1-1 tie. Versus Calvert Hall, Lieske gave the Greyhounds an 8-7 lead before his three goals and an assist helped clinch a 13-8 win. Lieske's unassisted goal in the title-game win over St. Paul's broke a 6-6 tie and he scored two of the next three goals in a clinching run. Lieske was a linebacker on the Greyhounds' MIAA A Conference co-runner-up football team, a testament to his tenacity.

Coach of the Year

Mike Siegert, Centennial: Siegert's Eagles closed with a 15-game winning streak after a season-opening loss to 3A-4A state champion Annapolis, finishing at 15-1 and with their first state championship. Their Class 1A-2A title featured a win over perennial Baltimore County power Towson in the state finals, which the Eagles engineered as they normally did -- by shutting down the other team and using a balanced attack to close with a run. On the the way to the title game at UMBC, the Eagles ended a 30-game league winning streak by three-time defending county champion Mount Hebron. Those were two monkeys off the back of 45-year-old Siegert, whose Eagles were state runners-up in 1994 and semifinalists in 1992 and 1993. A math teacher who has coached lacrosse for 24 years -- 21 at Centennial -- Siegert was a second-team All-American defenseman at Hopkins, from where he graduated in 1974. "This was one of those years when everything just came together perfectly, and the kids did what it took to achieve their goals," he said.

The first team

Ryan Boyle, Gilman, sophomore, attack: An excellent athlete and quarterback on the Greyhounds' MIAA co-runner-up football team, Boyle led the team with 47 goals and 41 assists and also scooped 53 ground balls. Boyle has 130 points in two years as a starter and "is the best off-ball player I've ever coached," said coach John Tucker.

Conor Gill, St. Paul's, senior, attack: Gill, headed for the University of Virginia, scored 40 goals and 39 assists and this year eclipsed the school's all-time scoring record with 236 career points. The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder entered the season regarded as the nation's top Division I prospect on attack and led the Crusaders to a runner-up finish in the MIAA A Conference. Gill was the overall winner of this year's C. Markland Kelly Award. Gill this season scored six unassisted goals to trigger a 13-goal second half in a 15-9 win over Loyola. In a victory over St. Mary's, Gill's five goals and six assists (11 points) tied a single-game school record for points.

Matt Primm, McDonogh, junior, attack: With 51 goals, 27 assists and 87 ground balls, Primm "was the most improved player on our team," according to coach Jake Reed. A power scorer with a rocket of a shot, Primm was the focal point of many defenses. One MIAA A Conference coach called Primm, a football defensive back and wide receiver, "McDonogh's headiest offensive player."

Kyle Campbell, Mount Hebron, senior, attack: tack: Voted an All-American by the National Interscholastic Lacrosse Association for the second straight season and the C. Markland Kelly winner for 1A-2A schools, this 6-foot-1, 185-pound repeat All-Metro choice scored 58 goals, had 48 assists and 65 ground balls. Campbell set school season records in goals (74), points (111) and a single-game record for goals (8) last season. This year, he set school career records for goals (145), assists (106) and total points (251). Campbell is headed to Loyola College on an athletic scholarship.

Andrew Faraone, Gilman, junior, midfield: Faraone's 43 goals are the most by any first-team middie and his 35 assists are second. Big (6-2, 190) and strong, Faraone runs a 4.6-second, 40-yard dash, according to coach John Tucker, and "he's a relentless presence with a hard shot." Faraone can be a clutch player when called upon, having scored the game-winning goals against St. Paul's and McDonogh during the regular season.